Project Gutenberg (CAUTION: MOSTLY OFF-TOPIC)

[James_OldeTowne]

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

 

The URL goes to a website that is evidently devoted to digitizing printed books. This is pretty much an off-topic post, except that I am wondering if any obscure but potentially useful numismatic books have been digitized.

 

I stumbled across the site, because in addition to collecting coins, I occasionally like to buy old, completely obscure books at antique malls, yard sales, etc. One that I am currently reading (entitled "Marzio's Crucifix") - quite amazingly - showed up on their site, which I reached from a search engine.

 

It's just a shot in the dark, but perhaps useful numismatic references are on this site. I haven't found any yet.

[James_OldeTowne]

Upon further review, this site is pretty darned cool! I did an advanced search for "half dime", and here's a pretty cool excerpt from one of the books that came up:

 

CHAPTER XVII

 

OUR COUNTRY IN 1789

 

 

THE STATES.--When Washington became President, the thirteen original

states of the Union [1] were in many respects very unlike the same states

in our day. In some the executive was called president; in others

governor. In some he had a veto; in others he had not. In some there was

no senate. To be a voter in those days a man had to have an estate worth a

certain sum of money, [2] or a specified annual income, or own a certain

number of acres. [3]

 

Moreover, to be eligible as governor or a member of a state legislature a

man had to own more property than was needed to qualify him to vote. In

many states it was further required that officeholders should be

Protestants, or at least Christians, or should believe in the existence of

God.

 

The adoption of the Constitution made necessary certain acts of

legislation by the states. They could issue no more bills of credit;

provision therefore had to be made for the redemption of those

outstanding. They could lay no duties on imports; such as had laid import

duties had to repeal their laws and abolish their customhouses. All

lighthouses, beacons, buoys, maintained by individual states were

surrendered to the United States, and in other ways the states had to

adjust themselves to the new government.

 

[illustration: CONTINENTAL PAPER MONEY.]

 

THE NATIONAL DEBT.--Each of the states was in debt for money and supplies

used in the war; and over the whole country hung a great debt contracted

by the old Congress. Part of this national debt was represented by bills

of credit, loan-office certificates, lottery certificates, and many other

sorts of promises to pay, which had become almost worthless. This was

strictly true of the bills of credit or paper money issued in great

quantities by the Continental Congress. [4] Besides this domestic debt

owed to the people at home, there was a foreign debt, for Congress had

borrowed a little money from Spain and a great deal from France and

Holland. On this debt interest was due, for Congress had not been able to

pay even that.

 

THE MONEY OF THE COUNTRY.--The Continental bills having long ceased to

circulate, the currency of the country consisted of paper money issued by

individual states, and the gold, silver, and copper coins of foreign

countries. These passed by such names as the Joe or Johannes, the

doubloon, pistole, moidore, guinea, crown, dollar, shilling, sixpence,

pistareen, penny. A common coin was the Spanish milled dollar, which

passed at different ratings in different parts of the country. [5]

Congress in 1786 adopted the dollar as a unit, divided it into the half,

quarter, dime, half dime, cent, and half cent, and ordered some coppers to

be minted; but very few were made by the contractor.

 

[illustration: SETTLED AREA IN 1790.]

 

POPULATION.--Just how many people dwelt in our country before 1790 can

only be guessed at. In that year they were counted for the first time, and

it was then ascertained that they numbered 3,929,000 (in the thirteen

states) of whom 700,000 were slaves. All save about 200,000 dwelt along

the seaboard, east of the mountains; and nearly half were between

Chesapeake Bay and Florida.

 

The most populous state was Virginia; after her, next in order were

Massachusetts (including Maine), Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and New

York.

 

The most populous city was Philadelphia, after which came New York,

Boston, Charleston, and Baltimore.

 

LIFE IN THE CITIES.--What passed for thriving cities in those days were

collections of a thousand or two houses, very few of which made any

pretension to architectural beauty, ranged along narrow streets, none of

which were sewered, and few of which were paved or lighted even on nights

when the moon did not shine. During daylight a few constables kept order.

At night small parties of men called the night watch walked the streets.

Each citizen was required to serve his turn on the watch or find a

substitute or pay a fine. He had to be a fireman and keep in his house

near the front door a certain number of leather fire buckets with which at

the clanging of the courthouse or market bell he would run to the burning

building and take his place in the line which passed the full buckets from

the nearest pump to the engine, or in the line which passed the empty

buckets from the engine back to the pump. Water for household use or for

putting out fires came from private wells or from the town pumps. There

were no city water works.

[bsshog40]

Pretty interesting james. A lot of books on the site also!

[Dcoin]

The beginning of the end for the printed book?

 

As an amature author, this holds a world of possibilities.

 

Thanks James